NRL 2021: Preston Campbell’s emotional tribute to son Jayden before his Titans debut
For all Preston Campbell’s many achievements in the NRL, he admits few will rank as high as watching his son Jayden run out in the Titans’ No.1 jersey he made famous.
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Jayden Campbell leaves his opponents bamboozled and his father Preston reckons he can spin a yarn pretty well too.
“As soon as I found out I’d be making my (NRL) debut I rang my mum and dad up straight away,” Jayden said. “He won’t like me saying this but I heard his voice crack – I think he was crying a little bit.”
That’s not exactly how Gold Coast Titans legend Preston Campbell remembers the conversation on Tuesday.
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“(Laughs) he can tell some porky pies, that fella,” Preston said. “It is emotional. Anyone that’s got kids understands how hard their little ones work towards a dream.
“He has always wanted to play rugby league. I was just so happy for him, it was exciting.”
The Campbells will become the first father-son duo to play NRL for the Titans in the club’s 15-season history when Jayden debuts against Melbourne at Sunshine Coast Stadium on Saturday night.
The Titans didn’t want Jayden to speak in the lead-up to his NRL debut and attempted to place him on a media ban — but this is a story too good not to be told.
For a club performing poorly on the field and gutted by State of Origin selections, the Campbell achievement is a ray of shining light.
Preston Campbell was the first player signed by the Titans in 2005 ahead of the club’s NRL entry in 2007.
He joined the Gold Coast from Penrith as an NRL premiership winner (2003) and Dally M Medal champion (2001) and went on to play 103 games for the Titans before retiring in 2011.
Preston is one of the most revered players in NRL history — a genuinely good person whose impact on society, in particular the indigenous community, stretches much further than his remarkable talent on the field.
But for all Preston’s achievements, few will rank as high as watching Jayden run out in the Titans’ No.1 jersey he made famous.
“I don’t use the word proud much but it’s going to be a proud moment,” Preston said.
“Proud for all the people that have had something to do with him over the years. He’s played under a number of different coaches and with the Helensvale Hornets since under-7s.
“He’s had a lot of people that have really influenced the way he plays and the person he is.
“His mum (Lee) is the one that needs all the accolades. She made a lot of things happen when I was away.”
At 77kg, Jayden will be one of the smallest players to feature in the NRL this year and has only reached that weight after going on a bulk-up regime. But much like his father, who played at 167cm and 73kg, he has found a way to realise his childhood dream.
“I was born into football,” Jayden said.
“It’s always been part of my life and I’ve always wanted to follow in dad’s footsteps. Everything he’s done, I’ve wanted to do the exact same.
“When I was a younger bloke I was a lot smaller than I am now. I’ve had to find ways to get around the field. My old man was pretty good at that.
“I watched him a lot and his old games and tried to play a similar way. I’ve had to run around guys instead of at them.
“I watched guys like Rhys Wesser and Matty Bowen (Queensland Origin fullbacks). I’ve tried to copy things they did.”
While Jayden, 21, may lack the size of his rivals, he hasn’t been embarrassed playing against men this year. He has been carving up the Intrust Super Cup for Tweed Heads, scoring five tries in his past three games and averaging 260m.
He uses his footwork and elusiveness to outwit his rivals, breaking 59 tackles in six games, but Preston said his son doesn’t lack the toughness required to play in the NRL.
“You’d have to go back to the beginning – he’s never been a really big bloke,” he said.
“You have to be tough and have a certain sort of strength to play rugby league. Jayden has got that. He has worked really hard to condition his body too.”
The Campbell family will be watching from the sideline when Jayden creates Titans history against the Storm, debuting alongside winger Greg Marzhew.
Jayden has overcome many obstacles to reach this moment and said following in his father’s footsteps was a dream come true.
“Obviously making your NRL debut is awesome but to play for the Titans makes it even better. It’s a bonus being a father-son duo,” Jayden said.
“I never got told I was too small, but I had a lot of people tell me recently that I had to put on weight because the NRL is a tough game.
“Justin (Holbrook, Titans coach) doesn’t really care about how much I weigh. He told me I was a tough bloke and it doesn’t matter how small I am.
“I’m just happy to play in the NRL.”
And that’s a story worth telling.
Titans to finally unleash Greg Marzhew
The Titans will unleash the club’s strongest player when muscle-man Greg Marzhew makes his NRL debut in Saturday night’s clash against the Storm.
News Corp can reveal Marzhew will celebrate a first-grade baptism six years in the making as the Titans look to his rippling 104kg frame to test premiers Melbourne at Sunshine Coast Stadium.
The hulking winger was originally named as 20th man for the Storm showdown, but it is understood Marzhew will be called up to replace veteran Anthony Don, who pulled up sore from last week’s 38-10 loss to the Sharks.
The 24-year-old not only shapes as a cult figure for SuperCoach stats geeks, but Marzhew has claims to being the NRL’s version of Mr Olympia icon Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Marzhew holds the Titans’ all-time bench press record after pumping out 190kg this pre-season to send his teammates into raptures.
The hard-running pocket battleship can squat 210kg and deadlift 250kg, remarkable numbers for an outside back who at 177cm is six centimetres shorter than his fellow debutant this week, livewire Jayden Campbell.
Marzhew’s debut is the ultimate reward for patience after he was first touted as the Gold Coast’s next big thing way back in 2015.
The Auckland-born flyer destroyed opponents in the under-20s competition but after going stale at the Titans, Marzhew chased his NRL dream with a brief stint at Parramatta, before returning to the Gold Coast this season on a train-and-trial contract.
Formerly known as Greg Leleisiuao until he changed his surname last year, Marzhew produced one of the best statistical seasons in NSW Cup history while at the Eels in 2019.
His statistics for Parramatta’s feeder-club Wentworthville were insane as he busted 196 tackles – 92 more than the next best – and charged for 4512m at an average of 173m per game in 26 appearances.
Marzhew made one appearance for Burleigh before the 2020 Intrust Super Cup was suspended and eventually abandoned due to the Covid crisis.
The Titans hulk is an intriguing character who spent five years as a professional hip-hop dancer in his teens before deciding to test his flashy feet as a full-time footballer.
Now he finally gets his chance to flex his muscle in the NRL, although Marzhew is determined to be remembered for more than just his record-breaking efforts in the Titans gym.
“I get sick of it,” he said in February when asked about the hype over his potential and gym strength. The whole off-season I stopped doing weights. I tried to do as much functional training and cardio as I could.
“I feel good this year. It has been a long wait (to debut).
“I’m ready to put in the work. I’ve had enough of the stories, I just want to get it done.
“After the year of Covid, I just want to get back out there and play any footy I can. I’ve been ready for the last five years. It should be time soon (for an NRL debut) … hopefully.”
There is no doubting Marzhew’s work ethic. In his first stint at the Titans, he would work in the Rocklea Markets from 3am every morning before heading to training in the afternoon.
While there is no concern about Marzhew’s physicality for NRL, the knock on him is his defensive reads and he has vowed to improve that area under Titans coach Justin Holbrook.
“(Holbrook) has told me to have more of a defensive focus,” Marzhew said.
“He has always told me I have been a chance (to play NRL). It’s just the defensive side of things I have to get right. I need to make the right decisions under fatigue.”
ROUND 13 A FAMILY FIRST FOR TITANS
The son of Dally M Medal legend Preston Campbell will make his NRL debut and create Gold Coast Titans history in the process.
Dynamic fullback Jayden Campbell will get his first taste of the NRL in Saturday night’s showdown against Melbourne on the Sunshine Coast.
The Campbells will become the first father-son duo to represent the Titans entity in the club’s 15-season history. Preston Campbell was the Titans’ first signing for their foundation season in 2007 and played 103 games for the club before retiring in 2011.
Jayden, 21, will wear the No.1 jersey made famous by his father after carving up the Intrust Super Cup this season with the high-flying Tweed Heads Seagulls.
Five-eighth Ash Taylor has also been recalled after recovering from hip problems.
Despite his lean frame, Campbell is averaging 194m per game and has busted 59 tackles in only six matches.
Much like his pint-sized father who won the NRL’s top gong in 2001, Campbell has built his game on eluding the opposition instead of barging over them.
Jayden has even surprised Titans coach Justin Holbrook with his development this year after the Covid-affected 2020 season.
“I’d have to say yes (I’ve been surprised), by the fact he is really carving them up,” Holbrook said. “I’m not completely surprised because I see how well he moves at training. To then do it when it counts most in a proper game (is impressive). He has gone really well.
“He is a natural footy player. They did get hampered by not being able to play last year, but he is a natural instinctive player.
“I think (he is ready for the NRL). He is obviously playing really well for Tweed and going well at training.”
The battling Titans have been gutted by State of Origin after fullback AJ Brimson, backrower David Fifita and props Tino Fa’asuamaleaui and Moeaki Fotuaika were selected for Queensland.
Brimson’s selection has opened the door for Campbell’s elevation and his teammates are convinced he will not let the Titans down in the NRL.
“He was playing under-20s last year and everyone was a bit iffy about how he would handle the Intrust Super Cup,” Titans co-captain Jamal Fogarty said.
“To be fair, he has gone out there in the first eight rounds and been the best player consistently from our club.
“You don’t know if someone is going to handle it (NRL) or not until you give them an opportunity. It would be great if he did get an opportunity but it can’t be a one-off game. He has to have a couple of games to find his groove.
“He is an unbelievable talent. Some of the stuff he does at training you think ‘wow, he’s going to get so much better’.”
After a promising pre-season the Titans have fallen in a heap, losing five of their past seven games amid worrying defensive efforts.
Losing their best four players for the Origin period is another blow ahead of a showdown against second-placed Melbourne, but Campbell could bring a spark to a struggling team.
“I sit back at training and watch how good a talent he is,” Fogarty said.
“He is the most relaxed, skilful player at our club. Some of the stuff he does is effortless – he could do it with his eyes closed.
“I have to really concentrate and be calculated to do things, but he is so freestyle and off-the-cuff. He is younger than me and hasn’t played NRL but I look up to him. He is an unreal talent.”
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